The terminology is the basic element in the subject knowledge system, and it is also the key vocabulary to cultivate the core competence of the subject. Students must fully understand these key words in the process of learning so as to express and communicate opinions effectively. The science textbook is the main medium of teaching and learning; it is an important way to lead students into the scientific world. Whether students acquiring scientific knowledge depends on their understanding the semantic content expressed in textbook discourse, so the complementary use of effective texts has a significant role. In this study, the research content is the "sustainable development" issue discussed in primary and secondary school science textbooks. Through the corpus to explore different types of explanations of scientific terms, and then sample texts analyses show the problems that students may encounter when learning. Implications and advices will be drawn for appropriate teaching guidelines, textbook design and review, terminology review and explanation.
